WARNING: This Article May Contain Spoilers
Ryan Reynolds is typically known as the comedic actor who genuinely does not take himself seriously, which in truth makes Deadpool the perfect role for him. It is for this reason that I have decided not to cover any of his comedy films and show you all a different side to him. As many may know, he originally starred as Wade Wilson in X-Men Origins: Wolverine but he technically isn’t Deadpool at this point as it is not Reynolds under the make-up for Weapon XI. I’m sure it’s also well known that this isn’t the first superhero Ryan has played as he featured as the Green Lantern in the film of the same name – but we’re not talking about DC here. By the way in case you didn’t realise this is what he references in Deadpool when he says the words ‘And please, don’t make the super-suit green, or animated’
Ordinary Magic
This is actually Ryan’s first film (hopefully I’m as lucky with some of the other actors in this section) and it’s amazing to see that even at the age of 17 he looks exactly the same as he does now. This is no longer the style of film that he’s known for but I think that has actually made me appreciate it a lot more. On the face of it, this is a film about protecting what is yours and not backing down from a fight, but deep down, it is also a film about acceptance. Jeffery, or Ganesh as he is known in India, moves to Canada to live with his aunt following the death of his father. Throughout, you get to see not just the students at his school but also his aunt begin to accept him for who he is. I also want to point out that, for someone so reasonably young when this was made, Ryan does a pretty impressive Indian accent.
Buried
I’ve said in a previous article about how much I love films with small casts. Well, you can’t get much smaller than only Ryan Reynolds in this film. Obviously, the voices on the phone are recorded as ‘cast’ on IMDb but they never feature on screen. For a man that’s become known for his comedy (yeah, yeah I know I said that already), I think this film sometimes gets forgotten about but honestly, I ask you all to give it a watch if you can (7 day free trial on Shudder will give you that opportunity). I say this because this film is intense! From the lighting to the way they just focus the camera on his mouth in certain shots, this film really will keep you on tender-hooks and continuously asking ‘why him?’ I’m not going to pretend that the ending won’t break your heart but I won’t say any more than that.
Mississippi Grind
IMDb describes this film as a comedy-drama. I think this is a misconception because of the fact that Reynolds was cast in it. Come on, the story about the toe kind of sums the whole film up in my opinion. This is a genuinely serious film about gambling addiction. OK, it’s not openly said that Gerry has a problem but I think it’s pretty obvious from the way the character is written and the behaviours throughout the film. However, it’s Curtis that is the intriguing part of this story. Is he a man that is just as down on his luck as Gerry? Is he actually rich and extremely philanthropic in regards to gambling addicts? It’s not clear at all. We know that Gerry isn’t the first man he’s helped and he even points out that there’s nothing in it for him. Honestly, by the last roll of the dice and the pair of them saying “We can’t lose”, I was invested in them so much that I felt like my heart stopped beating for a second.
Television Moments
I’ve learnt a lot writing this article because I honestly believed that the TV series Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place was actually the first thing that Ryan Reynolds did. Obviously, because of Ordinary Magic this isn’t the case, but it also wasn’t the first TV series he starred in. In 1991, Reynolds starred in 13 episodes of Nickelodeon series Fifteen before another 13 episode stint in The Odyssey two years later. My misconception may stem from the fact that Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place may have made his name.
Honorary Mentions
This is where I contradict myself because I believe what I said about Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place as well as what I am about to say. There’s a possibility that National Lampoon’s Van Wilder may have also brought Ryan to attention of the general public, especially for his comedic talents. From here, he starred as a cameo in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle before becoming a sidekick of Blade’s in Blade Trinity. Most of his acting credits are proliferated with comedy which makes films like The Amityville Horror stand-out amongst them.
